Heed Advice Of Whistleblower

WASTE IN government is despised, as it should be, by nearly everyone. Yet those who expose government waste, the tough-minded whistleblowers, often find themselves in undeserved trouble themselves.

That happened to George Spanton, of Singer Island, who questioned defense spending at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. The company denied his accusations and Spanton almost lost his job as an auditor with the Defense Contract Audit Agency.

Now Spanton is retired but still helping to uncover government waste. Recently he was honored in Washington, and he made some remarks that deserve careful at-ten-tion.

Spanton said the recent disclosures about improper billings of the government by General Dynamics Corp., the nation`s largest defense contractor, represent just a small part of the waste that`s going on throughout the defense industry. He contended that the General Dynamics waste has been going on since 1975 and that it could have been uncovered easily long ago.

Spanton has been working as consultant with a congressional subcommittee investigating General Dynamics, so he knows that specific aspect of the overall subject. His warnings about what`s going on ought to be heeded, and the government`s auditors should dig out the truth, no matter how many sacred cows are embarrassed.

Whistleblowers, additionally, need encouragement and protection. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, has said he will pursue legislation to provide the necessary encouragement, and he certainly ought to do that.

Spanton obviously was pleased to be given an award by an independent group, the Coalition To Stop Government Waste, and to be praised by Grassley and others for his work. The best way to make sure such work continues is to guarantee that whistleblowers won`t be punished for exposing government waste.